Wire-forming machine



Aug. 15, 1961 o. GATES, sR 2,996,087

WIRE-FORMING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Aug. 15, 1961 L. o. GATES, SR 2,996,087

WIRE-FORMING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I 0 it Aug. 15, 19 1 Filed May WIREFORMING L. O. GATES, SR

MACHINE OO'OO1000'OOOO 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 2,996,087 WIRE-FORMING MACHINE Lee 0. Gates, Sr., 470 S. Bryant St., Denver, Colo. Filed May 1, 1958, Ser. No. 732,355 15 Claims. (Cl. 140-404) form ties of a general type having looped rod-receiving portions at each end and form stops on the shank adjacent each loop have been recognized; however, the prior art looped wire ties were found to have certain limitations that rendered them somewhat less effective than was first supposed. For example, a number of ties of this type included a twisted-wire shank portion which was found to stretch under load at the base of the form.

Also, the formation of the tie with this twisted section required considerably more wire per tie than would be needed in a single-strand, untwisted wire tie. Further, it required many years to design and develop a satisfactory automatic or semi-automatic machine that could produce this type of twisted wire tie on a low-cost, volume production basis.

The aforementioned deficiencies in the tie itself can, however, be substantially eliminated by constructing a tie of the same general type which has a substantially straight single-wire shank bent at each end to form opposed loops that are welded closed with the terminal ends of the wire turned at right angles to the loops to provide spaced form stops. An automatic machine capable of producing such a tie at a high rate of speed, however, poses a considerable problem and it is, therefore, such a machine that forms the subject matter of the present invention.

The instant wire-forming machine includes a combined cutting and forming unit which, after passing the lead end of wire fed thereto from a coil by a feed mechanism, cuts the wire into two lengths and, simultaneously, bends the following stop on the lead section and the lead stop on the following section. Loop-forming units are also provided which are located in spaced relation on opposite sides of the cutting and forming unit that operate on the adjacent severed ends that have already been provided with stops to form the following loop on the lead section and the lead loop on the following section. At the same time that the loops are being formed in the adjacent ends of the two sections, notching units are placing the following notch in the lead section and the lead notch in the following section on the shank portions thereof. Thereafter, the lead section which has been provided with stops, loops and notches in both ends is transferred by a conveying unit to a welding unit which simultaneously welds both loops closed to finish the tie.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved machine for making looped wire concrete form ties.

A second object is the provision of a machine of the .type described having a novel mechanical actuating means operative to initiate the several unit operations such as forming, cutting and welding, in a timed sequential relation.

A third object is to provide a wire-forming machine that is fully automatic in operation and, therefore, ideally suited for use in a low-cost, high production operation.

A fourth object is the provision of a machine for mak- Patented Aug. 15, 1961 ing wire form ties that includes novel and improved loop. forming units.

Another object is to provide a form tie machine which incorporates a unique combined cutting and forming unit adapted to simultaneously cut a length of wire into two sections and bend stops on the adjacent severed ends.

Still another object is the provision of novel and adjustable notching units adapted to notch the shank portions of wire form ties in a wire-forming machine.

An additional object of the present invention is the provision of a wire form tie machine that includes as a part thereof a novel automatic welding unit.

Further objects of the instant invention are to provide an improved wire-working machine which is relatively simple and inexpensive, compact, rugged, adjustable to produce form ties of varying lengths, and one that is capable of high production rate operation.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out specifically hereinafter in connection with the description of the drawing that follows, in which FIGURES 1A and 1B constitute a top plan view of the; wire-forming machine of the present invention, FIGURE 13 having been reduced in size and shown separately inorder that FIGURE 1A might be presented in an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevation, certain portions of which have been broken oli to conserve space; ,7

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the finished wire concrete form tie produced on the machine, portions of which have been broken away to conserve space;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing one of the looped ends of the completed wire tie along with notched shank thereof;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged section taken along line 55 of FIGURE 1A showing the combined cutting and forming unit of the machine;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail showing the notching and loop-forming units in elevation and the combined cutting and forming unit in section there between;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary section taken along line 77 of FIGURE 6 showing the combined cutting and forming unit in detail;

FIGURE 8 is a section to an enlarged scale taken along line 8--8 of FIGURE 1A showing one of the loop-forming units in detail;

FIGURE 9 is a section taken along line 9--9 of FIG- URE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a slightly enlarged section taken along line 10-10 of FIGURE 1A illustrating the cam-actuated rack and pinions used to operate the loop-forming units;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged section taken along line 1111 of FIGURE 1A showing the cam-actuated rocker arms used to operate the notching units;

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of one of the notching units, portions thereof having been broken away to better show the construction;

FIGURE 13 is a side view of one of the notching units, portions of which have been shown in elevation and other portions in section;

FIGURE 14 is a side elevation slightly enlarged showing the feed mechanism, portions thereof having been shown in section;

FIGURE 15 is a side elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, showing the transfer mechanism whereby the ties are carried to the welding unit; and

FIGURE 16 is a somewhat diagrammatic front elevation of the electric welding unit of the machine.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGURES 1A, 1B and 2 thereof, it will be seen that the wire-forming machine of the present invention includes a frame having a bedplate 12 and a faceplate 14 that may be formed integrally upon which are supported the principal functional units that operate upon the wire. For the purposes of the present description, the end of the machine into which the coil of wire is initially fed will be referred to as the feed end of the machine which will be seen at the left in FIGURES 1 and 2; whereas, the end from which the completed ties are taken, the right end in the aforementioned figures, will be designated the discharge end thereof. Frame 10, in addition to the bedplate and faceplate aforementioned, includes a rear plate 16 spaced behind the faceplate 14 and connected thereto by means of spaced sideplates 18 and 20. Also, the discharge end of the machine is provided with frame elements 22 and 24 which extend forwardly from the faceplate in spaced, substantially parallel relation.

A feed mechanism which has been indicated in a general way by numeral 26 is mounted at the feed end of the machine on bedplate 12. This feed mechanism includes feed rollers 28 and 30 attached to shafts 32 and 34, respectively, which are driven by belt drive 36 operatively interconnecting said feed mechanism with feed motor 38, shown only in FIGURE 1A. These feed rollers 28 and 30 receive the lead end of a coil or reel of wire (not shown) therebetween and feed it along the front of faceplate 14 through lead notching unit 40 and the lead loop-forming unit 42, both of which are mounted on the front of the faceplate at the feed end of the machine. From the lead loop-forming unit, the lead end of the wire passes through the combined cutting and forming unit which has been indicated generally by numeral 44 and which is also mounted on the front of the faceplate near the center thereof. Thereafter, the wire passes through the following loop-forming unit 46 and the following notching unit 48 located near the discharge end of the faceplate. Finally, the unwelded but otherwise finished tie is picked up at the discharge end of the machine on a transfer unit and carried to the welding unit, the last-mentioned components having been indicated generally by numerals 50 and 52, respectively.

With the exception of the feed mechanism 26, all functional elements of the machine are. operatively connected to motor 54 through drive shaft 56 and belt drive 58. The drive shaft 56 is journalled for rotation within bearings 60 attached at spaced points to rear plate 10. The end of the drive shaft opposite the belt drive 58 is operatively connected to main camshaft 62 which is journalled for rotation between sideplates 18 and 20 within bearings 64 by mating gears 66 and 68 which are nonrotatably attached to the drive shaft and main camshaft respectively. The main camshaft 62 has upper rocker arm earns 70 and 72 non-rotatably mounted thereon adjacent, but inside, the sideplates 18 and 20, respectively. Immediately inside cams 70 and 72 are similar lower rocker arm cams 74 and 76 which are displaced angularly relative thereto. Cams 70 and 74 cooperate to spread the rear ends of upper and lower rocker arms 78 and 80 which, in turn, close the upper and lower jaws 82 and 84, respectively, of the lead notching unit 40; whereas, cams 72 and 76 function in a like manner to spread upper and lower rocker arms 86 and 88 that close upper and lower jaws 90 and 92 of the following notching unit 48.

The center of the main camshaft 62 contains a central cam 94 which functions upon rotation thereof against center cam follower 96 to reciprocate slide 98 of the combined cutting and forming unit 44. On opposite sides of the central cam 94, the camshaft 62 is provided with cams 100 and 102 which rotate with the shaft and reciprocate rotatable slides 104 and 106, respectively of the loop-forming units 42 and 46 between their extended operative and retracted inoperative positions.

A second camshaft 108 is journalled for rotation within bearings 110 mounted on the faceplate 14 and rearplate 16. Camshafts 108 and 62 are operatively connected to one another by bevel gears 112 and 114. Shaft 108 is provided with a cam 116 which upon rotation acts against cam-follower 118 to bring about reciprocal movement of rack 120 which, in turn, engages pinions 122 and 124 carried on the rotatable sections of slides 104 and 106, respectively, and rotates them to effect operation of the loop-forming units 42 and 46 when in extended position.

Rotation of main camshaft 62 also actuates transfer mechanism 50 and welding unit 52. Gear 68 is provided with a roller 126 journalled on a pin attached to the periphery of the gear in position to engage lever 128 and retract the same to pull crank arm 130 by means of link 132. Lever 130 includes a spring pawl 134 which coacts with ratchet 136 to turn sprocket 138 and advance the ties on the conveyor mechanism 50 to the welding unit 52. The central cam 94 on the main camshaft also operates upon rotation to efiiect intermittent closure of normally open switch 140 which closes the contacts 142 of the welding unit and energizes them.

The feed mechanism 26 can best be described in detail with reference to FIGURES 1A and 14 wherein it will be seen that the shafts 32 and 34 are journalled' for rotation between the spaced walls 143 and 144 of shaft mounting 146 which is attached to the bedplate 12 near the feed end of the machine. These shafts are operatively interconnected for rotation in opposite directions by mating spur gears 148 and 150, shaft 32 being connected directly to the belt drive 36 and having the plain roller 28 mounted thereon as shown. Shaft 34, on the other hand, is driven by the spur gear connection and is provided with the grooved roller 30. Wall 144 contains a vertical slot 152 in which is mounted a vertically slidable bearing block 154 within which shaft 34 is journalled. Compression spring 156 is located between the mounting 146 and block 154 in position to urge the grooved roller 30 against smooth roller 28 with the wire 158 therebetween. The feed mechanism 26 operates continuously with rollers 28 and 30 in frictional engagement with the wire being unrolled from the supply coil which has not been illustrated. The lead end of the wire passes through or past each of the functional units 40, 42, 44, 46, 48 and 50 which are open when in the inoperative positions of FIGURE 1A until said end abuts stop 160 formed on L-shaped' member 162 that is attached to the faceplate 14 at the dis charge end of the machine; whereupon, the wire stops and rollers 28 and 30 begin to slip as they rotate continuously.

In FIGURE 2 it will be noted that L-shaped member 162 is attached to the faceplate 14 by a bolt which rides in a longitudinal slot 164 formed therein. Thus, member 162 can be adjusted longitudinally relative to the cutting unit 44 to vary the overall length of the ties produced on the machine.

The combined cutting and forming unit 44 is shown in FIGURES 1A, 5, 6 and 7 to which reference will now be had. The slide 98 is mounted for transverse slidable movement within a track 166 formed inside slide housing 168 which is bolted to faceplate 14 in position to pass through an opening located therein. Spring guides 170 having compression springs 172 mounted thereon extend rearwardly from the rear face of housing 168 on opposite sides of slide 98. The slide is provided with ears 174 apertured to pass the guides 17 0 and bear against the springs which normally urge said slide to the rear or retracted position except when central cam 94 rotates against cam follower 96 in a manner to actuate the cutting and forming unit. The front end of the slide 98 is formed to provide a narrow anvil 176 having a vertical cutter receiving slot 178 formed therein which is bounded on both sides by beveled corners 180 that constitute the forming elements of the unit. Upon actuation of the slide 98 by cam 94, the anvil moves forwardly across wirereceiving slot 182 formed in housing 168 in position to intersect track 166 thereof. The end of slot 182 into which the wire is admitted is preferably flared as shown.

The front end of the slide housing 168 is closed by an endplate 184 to the inside of which is removably attached a cutter block 186 having a vertical cutter 188 mounted therein. A cover plate 190 is also shown bolted to the housing 168 in position to enclose the top of the block and cutter.

Rotation of main camshaft 62 and central cam 94 against cam follower 96 causes the slide 98 to move forwardly with ears 174 compressing springs 172. This action moves anvil 176 against wire 158 lying within slot 182 in the housing 168 and forces said wire against the sharpened edge of cutter 188 which separates the wire into a lead section 192 and a following section 194. As the anvil 176 continues to move forward receiving cutter 188 in the slot 178 formed therein, the beveled corners 180 bordering the slot, simultaneously form the lead stop 196 on the lead end of following section 194 and the following stop 198 on the following end of the lead section 192. Stops 196 and 198 are preferably formed to project at approximately right angles to the line of the shank 200 of the tie.

Of course, as soon as the wire 158 has been cut and anvi-l 176 retracted from between the stops 196 and 198 formed thereby on the adjacent severed ends, the following section 194 would ordinarily be freed for movement by the feed mechanism 26 into position against stop 160; however, at the same time, the lead and following notching units 40 and 48 become operative to engage and grip the severed sections in a manner that will now be described in detail in connectionwith FIGURES 1A, 2, 6,

and 11-13, inclusive. The upper and lower rocker arms are mounted for rockable movement about pivots 202 located intermediate their ends which depend from lugs 204 attached to the top and bottom edges of sideplates 18 and 2%). The rear ends of the upper and lower rocker arms are each provided with a cam follower 206 mounted for rolling movement within the bifurcated free ends of adjustable follower mountings 208 carried thereby. The lower rocker arms 80 and 88 are spring-biased against cams 76 by tension springs 210 connected between the rear ends thereof and rear plate 16; whereas, the upper rocker arms 78 and 86 are similarly biased against cams 72 by compression springs 212 connected between the underside of said arms ahead of pivots 202 and the adjacent sideplate 18 or 20.

Blocks 214 and 216 are mounted on the front of faceplate 14 in spaced relation on opposite sides of slide housing 168. Both blocks 214 and 216 include vertical dove-tail tracks 218 within which dove-tail ribs 220 on the back of upper and lower jaw mounts 222 and 224 slide. Jaw mounts 222 and 224 are connected respectively to pivots 226 located on the bifurcated front ends of the upper rocker arms 78 and 86, and the lower rocker arms 80 and 88. All the jaw mounts are provided with a detachable cover plate 228' held in place thereon by screws 230. The upper and lower opposed faces of upper and lower jaw mounts 222 and 224, respectively, are formed to provide a longitudinal dove-tail groove 232 with the cover plates 228 which cooperate to clamp the dove-tail rib 234 formed on each of the jaw members 82, 84, 90 and 92 within their respective mounts in a manner to provide for relative longitudinal adjustment therebetween so that the location of the nicks 236 and 238 on the shank 280 of the ties can be varied. The upper jaw 82 of the lead notching unit 40 and the lower jaw 92 of the following notching unit 48 are both formed to provide a longitudinal groove 240 therein sized to receive wire 158. Similarly, the lower jaw 84 of the lead notching unit 40 and the upper jaw 90 of the following notching unit 48 also include a longitudinal groove 242 into the base of which projects a nicking or notching element 244 which may be adjusted relative to groove 242 and groove 240 of the mating jaw to vary the depth of nick 236 by loosening set screw 246 that holds it in position. Jaws 84 and 90 are also preferably provided with a transverse groove 248 located to receive stops 198 and 196, respectively, following formation of the lead and following loops 298 and 300, as shown most clearly in FIGURE 6.

Referring now to FIGURES 1A, 2, 6 and 8-10, in-

clusive, it will be seen that the lead and following 1001)- forming units 42 and 46, respectively, are located on faceplate 14 on opposite sides of cutting and forming unit 44 but between the notching units 40 and 48. The. rotatable slides 104 and 106 are each mounted for rotation between a plate 254 and a bracket 256 which extends rearwardly therefrom through longitudinal slot 258 in face plate 14 to which plate 254 is adjustably attached by means of bolts 260 passing through slots 262 therein. Thus, longitudinal adjustment of the loop-forming units relating to the cutting and forming unit 44 is easily ac complished to vary the length of the loop. Of course, by adjusting jaws 84 and of the notching units 40 and 48, transverse grooves 194 thereof may be located to receive the stops 196 and 198. Cams and 102 are likewise adjustable on main camshaft 62 so that they may be aligned with the cam followers 264 mounted for rotation within the bifurcated connection 266 on the rear ends of slides 104 and 106. The pinions 122 and 124 are retained non-rotatably on slides 104 and 106 by a washer 268 which is keyed into the slide and nut 270. Upon release of nuts 270, the pinions may be meshed into the rack and the slides rotated to place the lead and following loop-forming heads 272 and 274 in the proper positions. Compression springs 276 mounted on the slides 104 and 106 between the pinions and the plates;

254 normally urge the cam followers 264 into rolling engagement with cams 100 and 102. These cams move the slides forwardly against the action of the compression springs without rotating them until the heads occupy the full line or extended position of FIGURE 8, the retracted position being shown in FIGURE 1A. The length of the pinions is greater than the width of the rack to accommodate the aforementioned relative movement therebetween. Note, when the slides are in the retracted position of FIGURE 2, the normal position of the wire 158' as it is fed through the machine before being cut or clamped within the notching units is such that slide 104 is located on top of the wire; whereas, slide 106 is underneath. Thus, coaxial roller 278 of head 272 passes over the top of the wire when slide 104 is extended and coaxial roller 280 of head 274 passes underneath. Note, however, that when the heads are extended as in FIGURE 6 and the jaws of the loop-forming units clamp onto the wire, they bend the wire as indicated at 282 until the shank portion 200 of the ties is substantially aligned horizontally with the axis of the rollers 278 and 280, or in other words, about half the diameter of the finished loops so that said loops will be formed to project about the same distances on opposite sides of the shank. The heads 272 and 274 each include short crank arms 284 and 286 extending downwardly and upwardly therefrom, respectively, before rotation thereof takes place and these cranks have grooved rollers 288 and 290 mounted thereon with their axes in spaced substantially parallel relation to rollers 278 and 280, respectively. Grooved rollers 288 and 290, when in the extended position of FIGURE 6, lie respectively below and above wire 158, as shown.

Now, cams 100 and 102 are so shaped that they maintain their respective slides and heads in extended position until earns 1.16 carried by cam shaft 108 operates to extend rack 120 and tension spring 292 returns the same to inoperative position. As best seen in FIGURE 10, spring 292 is connected between the rack 120 and sideplate 18. Both sideplates 18 and 20 include apertures 294 which receive rack 120 for slidable movement in an inclined position due to the relative placement of the heads on the faceplate 14. Both heads rotate about 225 counterclockwise as seen from the front of the machine, the grooved rollers thereof bending the wire around the axial rollers as clearly indicated by dotted lines in FIGURE 6 until the stops occupy the dotted line positions within the transverse grooves in the notching units. Note in this connection that the housing 168 of the cutting and forming unit 44 is provided with groove 182 in the top which frees the lead stop 196 of the following wire section 194 for the loop-forming operation and an opening 296 on the underside to pass the following stop 198 of the lead Wire section 192. Immediately upon completion of the loop-forming operation, cam 116 frees rack 120 so that spring 292 can retract the same and return the heads to their normal positions before cams 100 and 102 release the slides 104 and 106 to be retracted by compression springs 276. Cams 70, 72, 74 and 76, on the other hand, are shaped to hold the wire 158 in clamped position for approximately a full half-cycle during which the cutting, stop-forming, notching and loop-fomiing uriit operations all take place. Cam 116 which operates the rack 120 is the first to release, then cam 94 followed by cams 100 and 102, and finally, cams 70, 72, 74 and 76 release simultaneously.

With reference now to FIGURES 1A, 1B, 2 and 15, it will be seen that as soon as the lead and following loops 298 and 300 have been completed by the loop-forming units, functional units 40, 42, 44, 46 and 48 are all released to their inoperative positions, notching unit 48 opening to release and drop the nearly finished tie on to transfer unit 50; whereupon, feed mechanism 26 again becomes operative to move the wire section 194 with the lead loop 298, notch 238 and stop 196 forward against stop 160. The transfer mechanism 50 includes a shaft 302 journalled for rotation within bearings 304 carried on the forward ends of frame elements 22 and 24. Stub shafts 306 are attached to the rear ends of these frame members and rollers 308 are journalled for rotation thereon. Sprocket chains 310 interconnect each roller 308 with sprocket gear 138 non-rotatably mounted on shaft 302. Both chains 310 carry spaced plates 318 projecting outwardly therefrom and adapted to receive the unwelded, but otherwise finished, ties therebetween in the manner shown in FIGURE 15. Ratchet 136 is nonrotatably mounted on shaft 302 and rides within the slot in the bifurcated end of arm 130 which is rotatably mounted on shaft 302. This arm carries a spring-biased pawl 134 engageable with ratchet 136 as shown by dotted lines in FIGURE 15. The transfer mechanism is advanced intermittently by means of roller 126 mounted on the periphery of gear 68 carried by cam shaft 62 which strikes lever 128 and actuates arm 130 through link 132. Lever 128 is supported on frame element 314 for pivotal movement and is returned to inoperative position by tension spring 316. It is apparent that the transfer mechanism is advanced approximately one link during each cycle of operation which places the plates 318 in position to receive another tie.

Now, with reference to FIGURES 1A, 1B, and 16 it will be seen that the welds 320 are formed by welding unit 52 when the ties are passed between the electrodes 142 on transfer mechanism 50. As cam 94 rotates, it strikes movable contact 322 of switch 140 opening solenoid operated values 324 admitting compressed air through air line 326 which functions in a well known manner to close the electrodes on the tie positioned therebetween welding the loops closed. The specific welding apparatus is unimportant and it has, therefore, only been shown schematically. The cam 94 is timed relative to transfer mechanism 50 such that the switch 140 and electrodes of the welding unit are actuated when the chains and ties supported thereby are at rest.

The completed tie is shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 to include a shank portion 200 having lead and following loops 298 and 300 formed on opposite ends thereof. The terminal end of the lead loop is bent to provide the lead stop 196 which extends substantially normal to the shank 200; whereas, the terminal end of the following loop 300 is similarly bent to form following stop 198. Lead and following notches or nicks 238 and 236 are formed on the shank adjacent but spaced inwardly from the corresponding stops. The loops are welded closed where they close against the shank.

Having thus described the several useful and novel features of the improved wire-forming machine of the present invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the several objects for which it was designed have been achieved. Although but one specific form of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, I realize that certain changes and modifications therein may occur to those skilled in the art within the broad teaching hereof; hence it is my intention that the scope of protection afiordcd hereby shall be limited only insofar as said limitations are expressly set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wire-forming machine, a supporting frame, means comprising a camshaft including a plurality of cams journalled for rotation on the frame, drive means operatively connected to the camshaft to effect rotation thereof, stop means located near one end of the frame, feed means positioned near the other end of the frame and operative to receive a length of wire from a supply thereof and feed it against the stop means, a pair of clamping means arranged in longitudinally spaced relation between the feed and stop means with the wire passing therethrough, means operatively interconnecting at least one cam of said cams with the clamping means to effect intermittent closure thereof onto the wire after it contacts the stop means, a pair of loop-forming means arranged in longitudinally spaced relation between the clamping means in position to engage the wire, cutting means located between the loop-forming means in the path of the wire, means operatively interconnecting a second cam of said cams and the cutting means to cut the clamped wire into two sections, and means operatively interconnecting a third cam of said cams and the loop-forming means to bend loops in the adjacent severed ends of the wire sections.

2. The machine as set forth in claim 1 in which at least one of the clamping means includes a notching ele' ment adapted to place a nick in the wire gripped therein.

3. The machine as set forth in claim 1 which transfer means including a segmented conveyor adapted to grip the loops is located between the cutting means and stop means beneath one of the clamping means in position to receive the severed wire section following its release from said clamping means and formation of the loops on opposite ends thereof, welding means having electrodes located to lap the loops of the severed wire section following delivery thereof on the conveyor of the transfer means, means operatively interconnecting the cam shaft and transfer means to effect intermittent movement of the looped wires gripped by the conveyor into position between the electrodes of the welding unit, and means operative to close and energize the electrodes to weld the loops closed when passed therebetween on the conveyor of the transfer means.

4. The machine as set forth in claim 1 in which the loop-forming units include a slidable element mounted for both reciprocal and rotational movement, said element including a projecting portion about which the loop is formed and a crank element having a second projecting portion arranged in spaced relation to the firstmentioned projecting portion. and in which the operating means for the loop-forming means includes said third cam to extend the slidable element, spring means to retract same, cam-operated means driven by a second shaft and cam connected to said first shaft to elfect rotation thereof in extended position, and spring means to return the rotated slidable element to original position.

5. The machine as set forth in claim 1 in which the cutting means includes a stationary cutter element, and in which the operating means for the cutter means comprises a slidable element mounted for reciprocal movement between a retracted and an extended position upon actuation thereof by said second cam, and spring means connected to return the slidable element from the ex- 9 tended to the retracted position, said slidable element being slotted to receive the cutter element.

6. The machine as set forth in claim '1 in which each clamping means includes opposed jaw elements, at least one jaw element of which is movable into a closed position against the other, and in which the operating means for the clamping means includes a rocker arm connected between the first-mentioned cams of said cams and each movable jaw to effect movement thereof from open to closed position, and spring means connected to return each movable jaw from closed to open position.

7. The machine as set forth in claim 1 in which both clamping units include a notching element, one of said notching elements being located to nick one side of the wire and the other to nick the opposite side.

8. In a wire-forming machine, a supporting frame, means comprising a camshaft including a plurality of cams journalled for rotation on the frame, drive means operatively connected to the camshaft to effect rotation thereof, stop means located near one end of the frame, feed means positioned near the other end of the frame and operative to receive a length of wire from a supply thereof and feed it against the stop means, a pair of combined clamping and notching units arranged in longitudinally spaced relation between the feed and stop means with the wire passing therethrough, clamp-actuating means operatively interconnecting a first pair of said cams with the pair of combined clamping and notching units to effect movement thereof from an open to a closed position on the wire wherein it is simultaneously nicked and clamped, spring means operatively connected to return the combined clamping and notching units from the closed to open position, a pair of loop-forming units arranged in longitudinally spaced relation between the pair of combined clamping and notching units for movement into an extended position wherein the wire will pass therethrough and operated by a second pair of said earns, a combined cutting and bending unit located between the pair of loop-forming units in position to receive the wire therein, a combined cutter and bender actuating means operatively interconnecting a fifth of said cams with the combined cutting and bending unit to effect movement thereof from a retracted to an extended position wherein the clamped wire is simultaneously cut into two sections and the adjacent severed ends are bent to provide stops, spring means operatively connected to return the combined cutting and bending unit from the extended to the retracted position, rotatably reciprocating means operatively interconnecting a sixth and seventh of said cams with each of said loopforming units respectively to effect reciprocal movement thereof from a retracted to an extended position, spring means operatively connected to each loop-forming unit to return the same from the extended to the retracted position, and loop-forming unit actuating means comprising a second camshaft with a cam thereon journalled for rotation on the frame and operatively connected to the firstmentioned camshaft, a second reciprocating means operatively interconnecting said last-mentioned cam with at 10 least one loop-forming unit to effect limited rotational movement thereof in a direction to form at least one loop in a severed end of at least one wire section, and spring means operatively connected to each said second reciprocating means of said loop-foaming unit to effect limited rotational movement thereof in the opposite direction.

9. The machine as set forth in claim 8 in which both combined clamping and notching units include a pair of jaws, at least one of which is movable from an open position to a closed position against the other, and one jaw of each unit is provided with a notohing element adapted to nick the wire clamped between the jaws.

10. The machine as set forth in claim 8 in which the combined cutting and bending unit includes a stationary cutter element and a reciprocating bending element slotted to receive the cutter element.

1=1. The machine as set forth in claim 8 in which the loop-forming units each include a crank-like element attached to one end of the rotatable reciprocating means, said crank-like element having spaced projections, one of said projections lying on the axis of rotation of the rotatable reciprocating means for coaxial rotation therewith and the other of said projections being mounted for arcuate movement relative to said first-mentioned projection.

12. The machine as set forth in claim 8 in which the clamp-actuating means comprises a rocker arm connected to move said clamping means from open to closed posi- U011.

13. The machine as set forth in claim 8 in which the rotatable reciprocating means comprises a slidable element movable upon actuation thereof by said sixth and seventh of said cams from a retracted to an extended position.

14. The machine as set forth in claim 8 in which a second reciprocating means comprises a rack and pinion.

15. The machine as set [forth in claim 8 that includes a transfer unit located to receive the severed wire section after the loops have been formed in both ends thereof, a welding unit having electrodes positioned on opposite sides of the loops in the severed wire section when said section is supported 'on the transfer means, transfer unit actuating means operatively interconnecting the first mentioned camshaft to effect intermittent advancement of the severed wire sections supported thereon into position between the electrodes ofthe welding unit, and welding unit operating means operatively interconnecting the first mentioned camshaft and said welding unit to effect closure of the electrodes and energization thereof when said loops are located therebtween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 592,727 Frantz Oct. 26, 1897 1,212,437 Bates Jan. 16, 1917 2,535,328 Somerville Dec. 26, 1950 2,653,632 Corbett Sept. 29, 1953 

